Mavs Top Lakers

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LOS ANGELES — All the pieces fit the puzzle, Dallas Mavericks guard Monta Ellis said. It also didn’t hurt having forward Chandler Parsons back in the lineup.

Ellis scored 26 of his 31 points in the second half, leading the Mavericks to a 100-93 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday at Staples Center.

Ellis connected on 12 of 22 field-goal attempts, including two clutch buckets late in the fourth quarter. He also made five of seven from behind the 3-point arc, helping the Mavericks (41-24) end a two-game skid. The win kept Dallas, which dropped four of five before Sunday, a half-game ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for sixth place in the Western Conference standings.

Contributions from several Dallas players determined the outcome, Ellis said, but none were larger than those of the team’s post players.

“The big men set great screens for me, and I was able to get to the basket,” Ellis said. “They had to switch their defense up when they (ran) up on me, but my shot was just falling.”

Reserve forward Al-Farouq Amini finished with 13 points and six steals, and he keyed a Dallas rally in the final period. Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki had 12 points.

Parsons, who returned after missing seven games with a left ankle sprain, finished

with 11 points and six rebounds in 35 minutes.

“Tonight wasn’t pretty, but we got a win,” Parsons said. “(Ellis) was huge. It’s nothing new to us. We’ve seen him do that a lot this year. He’s one of the better closers in the game and in the fourth quarter.

“I felt like I could have obviously done a lot more, but I just wanted to ease my way back into it. Just do anything I could.”

Los Angeles forward Carlos Boozer scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Guard Jordan Clarkson and forward Wesley Johnson added 15 apiece as the Lakers (16-46) lost their fifth in a row.

“Same old story,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said.

A basket and four free throws by Aminu triggered an 11-0 surge that gave Dallas the lead in the fourth quarter. Point guard Rajon Rondo’s jumper with 4:13 left in the game gave the Mavericks a 92-90 advantage, and the visitors never trailed again. Ellis sealed the decision with a 3-pointer and a jumper in the final two minutes.

“He’s been doing that the whole season. You just have to keep him going,” Ellis said of Aminu. “Like I said, it was a total team effort; getting Parsons back was a key for us. His shot wasn’t going down, but I think he played great defense in the second half. We’re getting everybody back, and the biggest thing is we have to stay together.”

The teams ended the half tied at 44, but the Lakers took a 57-50 lead after a reverse dunk by guard Wayne Ellington early in the third quarter. The Mavericks cut the deficit to 59-57 after two free throws by center Tyson Chandler, but the Lakers went on a 10-3 run for a 69-60 advantage on two foul shots by guard Jeremy Lin with 3:33 remaining in the quarter.

However, Ellis’ 3-pointer pulled Dallas within 77-75 to end the third. Ellis scored 18 points in the quarter.

Los Angeles outrebounded Dallas 47-33. The Lakers held a 15-6 edge on the offensive glass.

The Mavericks, though, converted nine of 26 3-point shots compared to two of 14 for the Lakers. Dallas also committed just eight turnovers compared to 16 for the Lakers.

“We’re shooting deep in the shot clocks, always kind of late and just throwing a shot up,” Johnson said. “We have to come out and be poised and try to get stops at the end of the game.”

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